Thursday, September 17th, 2009
06.30 Arrested Development
07.00 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
07.30 NCIS
08.30 The Beautiful Life
01.00 Space: 1999
Arrested Development. Season 3, Episode 2. "For British Eyes Only" Michael goes to Wee Britain and meets Rita for the first time.
I have a real love/hate relationship with the Rita storyline, and the idea of Wee Britain. Rita is a one-note character that only really works the first time round (when you don't know her 'secret') and Wee Britain is a concept much too absurd for Arrested Development. It doesn't generate sufficent laughs to justify the leap of faith it takes to accept the place.
Bravo AD for trying something new and fresh, but better luck next time.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 4, Episode 3. "America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Model Contest"
One of the funniest-ever episode. This one is a treat.
In one plot thread Charlie and Dee set out to make some youtube videos. It starts out with Dee performing a series of (deliberately) unfunny characters. Some of this is painful to watch (and reminds me of what a lesser sitcom might try to pass off a funny), so Charlie comes to the rescue... with a lot of physical violence. Wonderful. Every time he punched Dee in the face with a ball (or, later, when kicked Dennis in the nuts) I laughed uncontrollably.
Meanwhile...
The guys in the bar held a modelling contest with Dennis trying desperately to win the Male Section. So, so, so funny.
NCIS. Season 5, Episode 15. "In the Zone"
Wonderful change-of-pace episode. Tony goes to Iraq. And the show devotes a (major) b-plot to fleshing out a minor recurring character.
The case-of-the-week was okay, but the character stuff (and the story that went with it) was Grade: A all the way.
The Beautiful Life. Episode 1. "Pilot"
Hey, I'm way outside the target demographic of a show about teen models, but if it was well-written and had interesting characters/stories I'd certainly be open to watching.
But, based on this opening episode, the show has nothing to recommend it.
Sara Paxton and Ben Hollingsworth have chemistry and are likable. I was charmed - to some degree - by their sweet romance, but bored by their characters: the only nice model in New York and the naive farm boy who stumbles into modelling by accident.
If the show was completely devoted to them I might consider watching episode 2. Maybe.
But, as it happens, the show has many other characters and all of them are really bland. The stories are bland and predictable, too. The 'big twist' here (that one of the models was selling drugs to an undercover cop, and would soon be arrested) was easy to see a mile off. Thus, I wasn't interested in anything that happened.
Jaime Murray (whom I adore) has a dreadful part, and - to be honest - kinda sucks at it.
The hero's dad is taken from TV's Big Book Of Unsupportive Dads and, when you look at their scenes together, you can't help but feel that the show isn't even trying.
I'm not particularly anxious to add a show to my viewing list that explores the world of teenage models in New York but, even if I was, this isn't the show to do that. Rather than knowing anything about models and their world, I feel that writers/producers have done their research by simply watching other shows/movies about models.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they have intimate knowledge of that milieu. Sadly, however, they don't convey that with this inept hour of television.
Space: 1999 Episode 7. "Missing Link" Koenig is taken by an alien scientist.
My least favourite episode of Season One is long, boring and talky. Koenig makes some inexplicable choices, too, with regard to staying with the aliens and leaving Alpha forever.
Best forgotten....
Highlight? It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (So, so, so funny)
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Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, NCIS, The Beautiful Life, Space: 1999
